San Diego, Calif. - Former Aztec women's soccer player Victoria Barba has joined head coach Mike Friesen's staff for the 2019 season. Friesen made the announcement on Wednesday.
A 2016 graduate of SDSU, Barba was a four-year letter winner with the Aztecs women's soccer program. Following her senior campaign, when she led the team with 11 goals and 25 points, and assisted on three more, she was named an NSCAA All-Pacific Region and first-team All-Mountain West performer. Barba erupted for 10 goals in her final seven games that season, which included a pair of tallies in a 2-1 victory against Utah State. The Aztecs combined that Utah State win with a triumph over Boise State for a weekend sweep. For her efforts in those two contests, the Albuquerque, N.M., native, was named to TopDrawerSoccer's National Team of the Week and was the Mountain West's Defensive Player of the Week.
"We are really excited to have Victoria back because she was a special player for our program and is just a great person," said head coach Mike Friesen. "I've been talking to her for the past couple of years about where her next steps would be (in coaching), and to ask her to come back and join our staff was something that seemed very natural to me. So, were thrilled she accepted, and look forward to seeing her continued growth as a person but also the progress in her coaching career.
"I couldn't be more excited to have an alumnus on our staff; especially one who is one of the winningest players our program has produced. The players are excited for the opportunity to work with her and gain some of the wisdom she can impart as someone who has achieved the goals they are striving for right now. She brings a different dimension and perspective to our staff which we haven't had in a while."
On the way to the conference title game in 2016, she scored a league-record six times in three Mountain West Tournament games. In the conference championship match against UNLV, she tallied the third hat trick in the tournament's history, the ninth in school history and was named to the Championship's All-Tournament Team.
"I'd like to thank (head coach) Mike (Friesen) for this opportunity," said Barba. "I'm extremely excited and honored to be back at San Diego State. It was a great experience to play for Mike and to now join his staff and have the chance to give back to the program and school that has had such a big impact on my life is very special. I'm ready to get going and see what the season has in store for us."
Barba brings her championship pedigree back to Montezuma Mesa. In five seasons as a player (2012-16), San Diego State won three regular-season and three Mountain West Conference Tournament championships. In 11 Mountain West Tournament games, Barba led her team to a 9-2 record.
In addition to the accolades she received after her senior season, she earned third-team NSCAA All-Pacific Region and first-team All-Mountain West honors as a junior, and was a second-team all-conference performer and a Mountain West Championship All-Tournament honoree as a sophomore. As mentioned before Barba scored three times in a game against UNLV in the 2016 MW Championship, which ranks second on the program's single game scoring list. In addition, her 11 goals in 2016 are tied for seventh all-time on the single-season list and she is 12th on the career goals list with 18. Her six points in the UNLV match are tied for third all-time in a single game for an Aztec. In addition to her play on the field, Barba also performed in the classroom earning Academic All-Mountain West designation in 2012.
Since her graduation, Barba has been coaching in her hometown of Albuquerque. Last year she was the head coach of the junior varsity and an assistant coach for the varsity team at her alma mater, Sandia High School where she helped lead them to a 5A state championship. In addition, she coached the Lil' Kickers, a youth team based out of Albuquerque's International Indoor Soccer Arena, and the New Mexico Rush's 03 boys team, a U16 side, which also took a state championship.